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Influence of social support on health‐related quality of life outcomes in head and neck cancer
Author(s) -
Karnell Lucy Hynds,
Christensen Alan J.,
Rosenthal Eben L.,
Magnuson J. Scott,
Funk Gerry F.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
head and neck
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.012
H-Index - 127
eISSN - 1097-0347
pISSN - 1043-3074
DOI - 10.1002/hed.20501
Subject(s) - observational study , social support , confounding , medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , survivorship curve , psychological intervention , head and neck cancer , quartile , affect (linguistics) , mental health , population , clinical psychology , gerontology , psychology , cancer , psychiatry , confidence interval , environmental health , nursing , communication , psychotherapist
Background. Evidence that social support influences health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) in oncologic patients could be particularly important for head and neck cancer because this disease can affect speech, eating, and facial aesthetics. Methods. Multiple regression analyses were used in this prospective, observational study to determine the association between 394 patients' ratings of perceived post‐treatment social support and HRQOL outcomes while controlling for possible confounding variables. Results. Higher social support scores were significantly associated with higher scores in speech ( p = .007), aesthetics ( p = .015), social disruption ( p = .045), and general mental health ( p = .016) and with fewer depressive symptoms ( p = .023) but not with general physical health ( p = .191) or eating ( p = .114). The magnitude of differences in the HRQOL outcomes for patients whose social support scores fell in the lowest and highest quartiles were clinically meaningful. Conclusions. Given the association between social support and HRQOL outcomes in this patient population, modification of perceived social support through clinical interventions could improve the survivorship of these patients. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2007